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PlayStation VR Review: The VR Headset to Beat

Read our PlayStation VR review and see how it compares to the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. Is this the VR headset we've been waiting for?

Our PlayStation VR Review is now live! So how does it stack up against the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift? The PlayStation VR (PSVR for short) is out now and we were lucky to get our hands on one at a Sony event and put it through its paces. It's a seriously impressive bit of kit. Comfortable, lightweight and with a solid build quality, Sony's first foray into VR gaming is an excellent attempt at bringing the medium to the mainstream. I encountered no tracking issues with the Motion controllers which worked really well and were an absolute doddle to calibrate. Also…

PlayStation VR Review: The VR Headset to Beat

PlayStation VR Review: The VR Headset to Beat

2016-10-14

Maxime Khamneian

PlayStation VR Review

Design

Build Quality

Fun

Value for Money

88

An absolute blast to play!

The PlayStation VR is an excellent entry level VR headset. With its solid library of games and relatively low price, the PSVR represents excellent value for money.

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Our PlayStation VR Review is now live! So how does it stack up against the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift?

The PlayStation VR (PSVR for short) is out now and we were lucky to get our hands on one at a Sony event and put it through its paces. It’s a seriously impressive bit of kit. Comfortable, lightweight and with a solid build quality, Sony’s first foray into VR gaming is an excellent attempt at bringing the medium to the mainstream.

Shopomo at the ‘Future of Play’ event in London

I encountered no tracking issues with the Motion controllers which worked really well and were an absolute doddle to calibrate. Also from what I can tell, you won’t be needing a huge amount of space in your living room to enjoy the PlayStation VR.

One of the disadvantages of the PSVR is that its screen resolution is inferior to those of its rivals. PSVR uses a single 1080p, 5.7-inch OLED screen, while both Oculus and Vive deliver a 2,160 x 1,200 resolution to each eye. This meant at times images were a little blurry and it was a bit tricky reading in-game text.

Another issue is the camera, as it’s still incredibly fiddly. The cable is too thick and heavy compared to the weight of the camera and stand. It ends up pulling the camera out of position and means you’ll have to wedge the cable in order to fix the camera in place.

Despite the camera issues, it has to be said Sony have made a number of improvements to it. The camera now comes with its own stand and can be raised. The lenses can also be tilted upwards or downwards to accommodate your setup. The cable also now sits at the back of the camera – on the version launched with the PS4 it was at the side, which caused it to drag and alter position if the wire dropped off your TV cabinet.

Trying out Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. A fun but creepy on-rails shooter.

In the time we had with the PSVR, we played Batman VR, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and RIGS: Mechanized Combat League.

We were incredibly excited for Batman VR. Despite being an incredibly short demo, we got an immense kick out of entering the Batcave and chucking batarangs.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a creepy thrill ride through a scary fairground ride where you’re constantly being beseiged by killer clowns trying to kill you. From what we’ve seen, it’s the perfect VR game to play for Halloween.

RIGS: Mechanized Combat League is another impressive VR game that fully demonstrates the potential of VR. You control a mech suit and face off against other players in three modes including Team Takedown (their version of Team Deathmatch), Endzone (American Football with mechs) and Power Slam where two teams compete against each other to score the most points by jumping into a ring in the middle of the arena. Word of warning, you might not want to play if you suffer from motion sickness!

Initially we weren’t sure whether it was worth dropping £349 on the PlayStation VR, but after trying it out we feel it’s the best value headset available right now. While the PSVR doesn’t match up to its more expensive rivals in areas like screen resolution or field of view, it’s cheaper and has a solid library of games as Sony is working on more than 100 titles. The PSVR could well be the headset to beat.

The Shopomo editorial team writes our buying guides and reviews based on first-hand knowledge of the products featured and the marketplace they operate in. Shopomo makes a small commission on links to a retailer if a purchase is made but the final decision to feature a product, and how highly it is rated, is purely an editorial one.